CRACKS AND CODE

SHADOWS OF INHERITANCE

Leo’s apartment in Mtwapa smelled faintly of ocean salt and freshly brewed coffee. The evening light filtered through the wide windows, painting the space in shades of gold and blue. Kaitu sat curled on the couch, her dreadlocks falling loosely around her face, while Leo leaned back in his armchair, studying her with the same sharp eyes that used to catch her sneaking mangoes from the kitchen as a child.

“You know,” Leo began, a mischievous glint in his gaze, “it’s funny. Seeing you with Max now brought back memories I hadn’t thought of in years.”

Kaitu frowned. “Memories?”

He chuckled, leaning back. “Back in high school, Max once saw a photo I had of us — you were grinning like you’d just won a fight, hair full of ribbons, dirt on your knees from climbing trees. He couldn’t get over it. Said you had the kind of spark people don’t forget.”

Kaitu blinked. “Spark?”

“Yeah,” Leo said, smiling. “He used to tease me, call you my ‘tiny hurricane.’ Said one day you’d grow into that fire and probably give the world hell. I had to remind him you were still a kid.”

She laughed softly, shaking her head. “That sounds like Max.”

Leo’s smile faded into something gentler. “Seeing you two now… it almost feels like life found a strange way of keeping that prediction alive.”

“He always had an eye for people who carried something rare,” Leo said quietly. “Didn’t surprise me that he saw it in you again, just… differently this time.”

Kaitu looked down at her hands, her laughter fading into silence. “Maybe,” she murmured. “People see what they want to see, Leo.”

He studied her a moment longer but didn’t push. “Maybe,” he said finally. “But sometimes, what they see is real.”

The quiet settled between them — heavy, but not uncomfortable — before Kaitu gently shifted the topic. “Anyway… tell me about the case.”

The lightness in Leo’s expression dimmed, replaced by a grim shadow. “We’re closer than ever. The hearing is on Wednesday. For once, the evidence is finally on our side. We might just reclaim what was stolen from us after Dad died.”

Kaitu’s gaze dropped to her hands. “It’s been so many years,” she whispered. “Sometimes it feels like we’ll never get back what we lost.”

“We will,” Leo said with quiet conviction. “They stripped us of everything—our home, our land, our power. Left us to pick up the pieces while they feasted on what was ours. But I’ll see it returned. I owe Dad that much.”

Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. “I just wish he was here. He was our shield, Leo. When he died, I felt so… powerless.”

Leo’s jaw tightened. “We both did. But at least we still have Mum. That’s what keeps me going.”

Silence lingered between them for a beat, heavy but familiar. Then Kaitu’s voice cut through, trembling with both frustration and longing. “Why do you always push me away from helping? This is my fight too.”

Leo’s gaze hardened, protective fire sparking. “Because some of these people are dangerous, Kaitu. They don’t play fair, and they don’t forgive. I can’t risk you getting tangled in it.”

Her chest rose and fell as she tried to steady her emotions. “And you think I can’t handle it?”

“That’s not the point,” he snapped, then softened at the look on her face. “I just… I can’t bear the thought of losing you too.”
Kaitu’s throat tightened. She wanted to tell him that she was already entangled in ways he couldn’t even imagine but the words wouldn’t come.

Leo narrowed his eyes, sensing the shift. “You’re hiding something.”

She froze.

“Don’t deny it,” he pressed, leaning forward. “The way you hesitated earlier when I mentioned Max—it wasn’t nothing. I know you, Kaitu. Is this about him? Has he dragged you into something?”

Her breath caught. The images rushed back—Max’s arms around her during the storm, the kiss she’d stolen that morning, his voice breaking when he told her she’d never have to second-guess him again.

“I can handle myself,” she said finally, forcing calm into her voice.

Leo wasn’t satisfied. “That’s not an answer.”

“I know.” She looked at him, her eyes soft with apology. “But it’s all I can give you right now. I don’t want to pile more on your shoulders when you’re already fighting so much.”

For a long moment, Leo said nothing. He clenched the arm of his chair. Then he sighed, dragging a hand through his face. He reached across the table and gripped her hand tight.
“You’re my sister first. Whatever you’re mixed up in, don’t forget that. I’ll burn down the world before I let anyone hurt you.”

Her lips trembled into a small, grateful smile. “I know, Leo. I believe you.”
But deep inside, she kept the storm to herself. He doesn’t need another war.

Dear Codebreakers,

This chapter was a quiet storm, a soft moment between siblings layered over years of loss, loyalty, and unspoken truths.

In this chapter, you got to really meet Leo — protective, nostalgic, and afraid. Afraid of losing the only family he has left. Afraid of the systems that stole everything from them once. Afraid of history repeating itself.

You also saw Kaitu walking a razor’s edge. She’s torn between the brother who raised her up from grief and the man who’s slowly pulling her heart out of hiding.

This chapter is a breath before the plunge. Secrets are growing. Loyalties are shifting. And the storm Kaitu is hiding from Leo?
It’s getting messier.

As always, thank you for decoding these characters with me; their fears, their fire, and their fragile hearts.
Stay sharp, stay curious, and I’ll see you in the next reveal.

— With love,
Lody Tales